Playwrights Lauren Gunderson, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Robert Schenkkan, David Henry Hwang, and Karen Zacarías have signed on as judges for a national teen playwriting contest tackling gun violence. #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence, which is now open to middle and high school students around the country, encourages students to write ten-minute plays that will foster open dialogue in their communities and inspire creative action.

Submissions are now open through June 20 (the original deadline of April 20 was pushed back due to the pandemic).

The winning plays will be made available for free to communities across the country that are participating in an evening of simultaneously staged readings on December 14 (the eighth anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings). So far, 40 reading locations in 19 states have been confirmed at middle and high schools, as well as at partnering theatre companies, including regional theatres Alliance Theatre, Atlantic Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and South Coast Repertory.

“Throughout history, theatre has served as a public forum where society faces itself,” says Tony-winning playwright Hwang. “I eagerly support #ENOUGH: Plays to End Gun Violence because I'm excited to hear the voices of young people, a generation whose lives and well-being have been most impacted by this country's recent waves of gun violence and mass shootings.”

Students can submit their plays at EnoughPlays.com/submit. Educators, theatres, and other organizations looking to partner with #ENOUGH, should visit EnoughPlays.com for more information, or contact producer Michael Cotey with any questions at [email protected].